


Give in to fondness

by TJ_Writes



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Zoro and his awkward feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 06:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11480205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TJ_Writes/pseuds/TJ_Writes
Summary: Mushy feelings are awful. Zoro tries toget a grip. Luffy has other plans.





	Give in to fondness

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the second [Zolu week 2017](http://zolu-week.tumblr.com/) prompt: Modern AU
> 
> One day I'm going to actually write a longfic for this AU. One day. 
> 
> That day is not today.

 

 

Gardening isn’t an exactly common hobby in a household of incredibly stressed students and odd-hour working people, which is most likely why the sizable yard spent months without any form of care at all and exiting the house felt a little like stepping out into an overgrown field. More than a lawnmower was needed to eventually cut down all the nearly waist-high grass and skinny sprouting trees, and the endeavor had been a full week of work.

The shovel hits yet another rock with a loud metallic _crack_ and Zoro squeezes his uncomfortably dry eyes shut, hoping like hell that the old rusty garden tool doesn’t just shatter. He’d agreed to spend a rare day off roasting in the summer heat and digging a goddamn flowerbed into the lawn, not to suffer through the use of tools that had probably spent years exposed to the elements. Serves him right for accepting a deal from Nami, he supposes. Why the redhead had suddenly gained an interest in plant life was unclear, but she’d been very vehement in her request and to be completely honest Zoro has always been easy to bribe with alcohol (it is a character trait, or flaw, depending on who you ask) so he’d accepted against better judgment.

His disgruntled thoughts are interrupted when a scruffy head topped with a paint-spattered hat appears in one of the open windows.

“Hey Zoro! Any idea where Luffy is?” Usopp doesn’t even finish shouting before he is hanging halfway out through the window in a way that makes Zoro consider suggesting that overall straps are not appropriate bungee cords. The resident artist becomes almost worryingly animated when he realizes he’s gotten the attention he was aiming for. “It’s almost dinnertime!”

Zoro shrugs before he bends to pick up the head-sized rock that had gotten in the way of the shovel. “Out. No idea where.” He tosses the small _boulder_ to the side and squints at the growing pile.

“Ehhh he left on skates in the morning didn’t he? Are you sure he hasn’t like, hurt himself?” Usopp continues and flails in the window before finally righting himself to lean on the windowsill instead. The irony is not lost on Zoro who sighs to himself. He has lived with Luffy for long enough to know that yes, some herding is needed here and there. And sometimes a lot of damage control and twelve rounds of scolding to get it to stick. But he’s never had to keep tabs on the other; they’re both adults after all. He also knows that Luffy picks up on most things pretty quickly when he sets his mind to it, so the likelihood of an injury worse than some scrapes and bruises is low.

In his typical wildcard fashion Luffy had made some new friends a couple of weeks back after accidentally discovering the outdoor rink of the local roller derby team. So really, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Luffy then announced he wanted to learn how to rollerskate so he could take up on the invitation to join in on Carrot's and Wanda’s weekend ventures. Of course he also picked a group meal to announce this so when Zoro made the snap decision to offer to teach him (at least this way he could keep Luffy from accidentally killing himself) the entire table turned their worried gazes from the initial offender to him. Really, was it that hard to believe he might have wanted to save his knees from the strain of running on pavement back during his years in a concrete jungle?

After getting himself a pair of inlines (Zoro had really wished he’d have gone for something a little easier to start with) because ‘ _they had cooler colors_ ’ and calling Zoro out on the fact that he himself in fact owned a pair of inlines as well, Luffy managed to cajole Zoro into accepting that this was happening. Of course Zoro then responded by driving his complaining boyfriend back to the store to buy _all_ of the protective gear.

The first few days went well enough though of the two of them Luffy actually had fewer bruises; the result of flailing limbs and a inclination towards sudden bouts of clinginess. Later in the week Zoro had been too busy working and one particularly early morning he got a call from a uncharacteristically apologetic Luffy who wanted to know if he could get a ride to the health care center because Chopper wasn’t home.

After a trip to the doctor and sitting through having gravel picked out of his elbow, Luffy promised to not jump down the stairs and out onto the driveway anymore and to at least wear the elbow pads if he did. While Luffy then spent the rest of the day being fussed over and lectured by Chopper, Franky decided that it was about time to finish laying the pavestones and get rid of the gravel for good.

(A week was all it took for Luffy to get the hang of his skates in the end. The joy on his face when he zipped over to Zoro to catch him in a bone crushing hug made Zoro’s knees weak - a fact that no one would _ever_ hear of.)

So considering all the excitement, it is no surprise that Luffy picked the first possible day to make his first longer trip on skates. The clear weather was a bonus too, at least for people who don’t wither in heat like Zoro tends to.

“Just call him if you’re that worried. He’ll be back for dinner, no way he’d miss a meal.” Satisfied with the solution he’s provided, Zoro wipes his forehead on his arm and then pulls the shovel out of the ground to go back to work. The rusty tool has gained a few additional cracks along the edges but hopefully the entire thing won’t crumble just yet.

“Uh, yeah, um. I may have… Displaced my phone during a tornado of inspiration and art.” Usopp sounds distinctly like he’s been trying to avoid cleaning up after himself and locating his phone, but he does eventually disappear from the window along with his dejected look - off to probably find a phone to borrow.

Left to his task again, Zoro manages a couple of minutes of work before he gives in with a sigh and fishes his own phone out of his pocket, getting dust and sand all over it (he got a dirt- and waterproof one for a good reason). It really is getting pretty close to dinnertime. There are no missed calls, not from Luffy, his brother nor the local hospital. Zoro actually considers calling the walking catastrophe himself before he catches his train of thought and groans. Not much has changed since they started their… _thing_. So the fussing is actually really awkward because it implies he might have maybe sorta turned into a bit of a softie and just the thought of that makes his street cred start to evaporate.

Annoyed at himself, Zoro narrows his eyes, glaring into thin air until a dried up dead tree stump enters his range of vision and offers a welcome distraction and something to take his irritation out on. When first presented with the specific area of the lawn he was supposed to dig up he’d protested when he saw the remains of a sizable tree in the middle of everything, but Nami had been very adamant about wanting the flowerbed exactly there. Now as Zoro steps out of the ditch he’s dug and goes for the visible gnarly, dead roots he is mostly thankful for some actual physical strain. He could probably use the shovel to hack some of the still buried roots in two but the ground in that particular spot is mostly sand and loose dirt and he is no quitter.

The roots run surprisingly deep and Zoro has to switch grip a couple of times and really brace himself. When the dead tree finally gives up and lets go of the ground with a loud _crunch_ Zoro also manages to let go of his frustration, channeling it all into that one last yank.

He has absolutely no reason to be worried and definitely needs to stop letting various people rile him up every time they ask him where Luffy is, even though it is slightly annoying that the common presumption now is that they’d grown attached at the hip or something similarly ridiculous. Worrying is simply not needed; it wouldn’t be the first time Luffy has lost track of time having fun.

After hauling the tree stump over to the pile of rocks, Zoro checks the time again and figures he should probably take a break, wash his hands and so avoid the ire of the shitty cook. Normally he’d just trudge in and track dirt everywhere just to piss Sanji off, but he is actually getting sort of hungry so he might as well avoid a fight.

He’s pulling off the gloves to toss them next to the shovel when a familiar voice and loud greeting shatters the calm hanging over the otherwise empty yard. Luffy finishes swinging himself around the corner of the house and waves excitedly as he rights himself on his tacky skull-decal skates. Zoro regards the energetic arrival with a slight smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. At least until he realizes that Luffy isn’t slowing down.

“How did stopping work!?” The speeding hazard manages to shout before he barrels right into Zoro, nearly sending them both tumbling across the lawn. Luckily for them (or mostly just himself really) Zoro has had years to perfect the skill of catching sudden human projectiles, so he manages to keep them both upright with a lightning-quick knee-bend and brace.

“Luuuffyyyyy…” Zoro growls when he can breathe again, the impact having knocked most of the air out of his lungs. He raps his knuckles across the helmet that nearly caught him on the chin and is now pressing into his collarbone.

“Sorry Zoro!” The pressure eases off when Luffy tilts his head back to look up. A slight flush from exertion is coloring his cheeks and there’s a smudge of dirt on his nose, likely from colliding with Zoro’s dust-covered shirt. A mildly sheepish but bright grin is stretched across his features. It is a look that Zoro recognizes very well - one that is specifically used to disarm him when he’s building up towards actual agitation. He still partially falls for it, sighing, and wipes off his hand on a clean enough spot on his shorts before brushing the dirt off of his boyfriend’s nose.

“You’re a fucking menace, you know that?” Zoro grumbles but stays put as wiry arms wrap around him and that damn helmet thunks against his collarbone again. It is further jostled when the said menace starts to shake with barely restrained giggles. “I’m _serious_.”

“Mmmhm…” the answering tone is distant and unfocused enough for Zoro to start feeling a twinge of annoyance working up to the surface again, but before he has the time to act on that a pair of hands deftly slip into his back pockets and _squeeze_. Zoro starts with a yelp and Luffy laughs into his chest, holding on tightly through the jerky movement.

This time the gaze that meets his incredulous and flustered one is full of mirth and sporting an absolutely devilish glint. Zoro grips his now leering boyfriend’s wrists and pulls the offending hands away from his ass. The gears in his skull are definitely turning now, catching up to current events and Zoro realizes that something is… off.

“You know how to stop you little shit!” He hisses, pulling another delighted laugh out of Luffy who twists his arms in the rigid grip, wiggling his fingers suggestively and forcing Zoro to keep holding onto his wrists instead of moving out of range. Zoro tries to inch backwards and Luffy follows - he’s still on the damn skates after all.

“I really like those pants!” Is the explanation the lanky imp offers, grinning brightly and widely.

“I wear shorts every summer.” Zoro arches a brow, unimpressed and unconvinced.

“Well yeah but these are kinda fitted. And shorter. You should let Perona buy you clothes more often!” Luffy continues cheerfully and _over my dead body_ is the first thing that comes to Zoro’s mind as he thinks of the varieties of offensive, uncomfortable, awkward, horrible and slightly less horrible clothes that the pink terror had tried to get him to wear before. The shorts were on the very _short_ list of somewhat wearable out of those.

“No.” He retorts, adding a shake of his head to make the message absolutely clear that the decision it is not up for debate. He is sure he will hear about it again later - this is Luffy after all, so he adds; “And you’re awful.”

Luffy laughs again, putting his chin on Zoro’s chest so his mirth vibrates through them both. There’s that look again. “Yeah, but you still like me, right?”

Zoro just sighs. Perhaps a little too fondly. “Yes, I do”

**Author's Note:**

> I do love comments, so leave one if ya like maybe?
> 
> For anyone interested; you can find me on tumblr [here.](http://rokudo-no-tsuji.tumblr.com/)


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